DIY Rolled Felt Flower Wreath for Valentine's Day

I really enjoy making crafts, and I enjoy it even more when I can use the supplies that I already have. I mentioned before that I have a TON of felt, even after the many, many felt crafts I've made.

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I decided to make a dent in my felt stash by making some rolled felt flowers. They're similar to the paper flower arrangement than I made at Christmas -- but even easier. Although you can find heart-shaped wreath frames, I decided to make a frame out of some craft vine wire leftover from my braided vine napkin rings. A little hot glue and ta-da! A cool Valentine's Day wreath.

Want to make your own? Stop by DIY Your Way to see my step-by-step tutorial on how to make this fun Valentine's Day wreath!

DIY Mantel Words Tutorial

It's been quite the week here. We had a string of cold, gloomy days that coincided with one of the girls having a 3-day fever. I don't think I realized how much being cooped up with a sick kid had affected me until Brett took them both out of the house on Friday.

The sunlight was (finally) streaming through our front windows, and I had the house to myself. Oh man, it was lovely and just the break that I needed. It also gave me a chance to do a little crafting.

Inspired by the approaching Valentine's holiday and the book Love Does by Bob Goff, I created these these DIY Mantel Words with free and inexpensive materials. They were simple and cheap to make. It makes me happy to see them sitting up on my mantel.

Stop over at DIY Your Way to check out my tutorial on how to make your very own DIY Mantel Words.

Decorate for Fall with a DIY Twig Mirror

Have you decorated for Fall? Well, of course, I meant to do so, but I got stymied on my mantle. I know I need something large to go over it, but I'm at a loss for what. I used to have a mirror there, but it really didn't do much for the room since it was frameless. Then my husband built a frame for it, but it didn't seem to go with the rest of the decor in the room. So, we've relocated the mirror, and I've got a blank mantle to work with. Thankfully, Lisa has some great step-by-step tips on how to decorate a mantle. I've got it on my to-do list...I'm just waiting for some inexpensive inspiration.

But just because I didn't get around to decorating my mantle doesn't mean that I haven't done any fall decorating. Just last week I made a fun mirror that is a great way to decorate for fall.  The finished size is about 12-inches in diameter -- just perfect for a Fall accent mirror. Best of all, this DIY Twig Mirror is so incredibly inexpensive to make - the main materials cost a mere $2! Wanna see how I did it? Head on over to DIY Your Way today for my step-by-step tutorial on how to make this sweet little twig mirror!

What inexpensive ideas do you have for Fall decorating?

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For other money-saving ideas, be sure to check out Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

Make Your Own Canvas Wall Art

I am not an artist, but that didn't stop me from giving this project a go. I've seen canvas artwork online for more than I want to pay, so I thought it would be fun to try making my own. It was fun and soooo much more affordable. For under $10, I made this inspirational sign to hang in my home. Wanna learn how to make your own? Stop by DIY Your Way today and get inspired with DIY canvas word art! (Oh, and if you like that vase, you can learn how to make a raffia covered vase there too!)

For other money-saving ideas, check out Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

DIY: Fun & Festive Cup Identifiers

When I was growing up, my relative Debra always drank out of a plastic cup with a rubber band around it. I totally thought it was weird, but as a young kid, I never asked WHY she did it. Several years ago on a visit to see her in Minnesota, I noticed that she still did it. I finally asked her why.

The answer was simple -- she wanted to be able to identify her drinking glass so she didn't keep using new ones. Genius!

Today over at DIY...Your Way, I'm sharing a simple way to create your own Fun & Festive Cup Identifiers. It's a super-inexpensive way to enforce your party theme or decor in a functional way. Even if you're not having a party, cup identifiers can help you cut down on the number of glasses that your family uses in a given day. Stop by and check it out!

DIY Raffia Vase Tutorial

Aren't these pretty? I think I'm in love with these sweet little vases. Best of all? They are an inexpensive, green and simple craft that you can make at home. Today, I'm sharing just how to do that in my DIY Raffia Vase Tutorial over at DIY...Your Way, a division of Life...Your Way. Come check it out!

Gifts of flowers don't need to be expensive. Skip the pricey bouquet, and fill one of these homemade vases with a few stems of flowers from your garden. It makes a sweet and simple gift for a friend, a teacher or a hostess.

You can make several of these and keep a few on hand for when you need a last minute gift. It's so much easier and cheaper than running out to the store!

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For other money-saving ideas, be sure to stop by Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

Make It Monday: How to Make A Dry Erase Board

For several months after we moved into this house, we had a huge empty wall in our dining room. We are a family who loves to learn, so I knew early on that I wanted to turn it into a "learning wall" by hanging some writing boards there. The storebought solution would be to buy dry erase boards. But, they aren't exactly cheap. Ones on the cheaper end still go for about $15 or so and I wanted a collection of them on my wall. With our law student budget, I really couldn't justify spending $60 or more just on boards for our wall. Plus, storebought boards don't really have a whole lot of personality. I wanted some COLOR to liven up the wall. So, I decided to make my own.

The dry erase boards weren't really that difficult or expensive to make. I just took some old frames, cleaned them up, gave them a fresh coat of paint, and added some plain white posterboard under the glass. We just use plain ol' dry erase makers on the glass. I even found some colored washable ones that the girls can use without me worrying about them ruining their clothes.

Here's a general overview of how I did it:

I found these little beauties at the local thrift store. Obviously, I didn't care about the art inside the frames -- I just wanted a wood frame that could hold some paint. These cost between $4-6 each.

After cleaning them up a little bit, I painted them with some inexpensive craft paint that I picked up for $1/bottle at Walmart. One bottle per frame is more than enough. I had trouble finding the right shades so I ended up mixing colors to come up with what I wanted.

For the background, I kept it simple and used white posterboard cut to fit. Target had the cheapest white posterboard -- I think it was about $0.40 per sheet. However, if you wanted additional texture, you could try some lightly colored artist paper.

Since we plan on everyone in the family using these boards, I had Brett attach them to the wall with some brackets. We really don't want glass frames falling off of the walls and onto the kiddies!

When all was said and done, I spent about $25 for the entire wall.

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For other money saving ideas, be sure to stop by LifeasMOM on Fridays for Frugal Friday.

How to Make No-Sew Fabric Pumpkins

Yesterday my little Lu went on her first preschool field trip. Oh my, isn't my baby growing up? When she brought home her cute little pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, I decided that we'd use it to decorate the fireplace. But, this one itty bitty pumpkin looked so lonely. So, I decided to make a friend for it - a no-sew fabric pumpkin!

This is a seriously easy (and cheap) craft to make. Not only is it practically free to make, but you can disassemble it after the fall and reuse most of the components. Guess what it's made out of?

Obviously, it's fabric, ribbon and a bit of brown paper bag. But what is inside?

Yes, that's right. A roll of toilet paper and some plastic grocery bags!

To make your own fabric pumpkin, you'll need:

• a square of fabric (mine was 22" x 22")
• a roll of toilet paper
• some plastic grocery bags (I used 2)
• a strip of brown paper bag rolled up to resemble a stem (you could also try to find a stick that works too)
• a bit of faux greenery
• ribbon

To assemble the pumpkin,

1. Lay your fabric square out flat, and place the toilet paper roll in the middle.
2. Bunch the plastic grocery bags around the roll.
3. Pull up one edge of the fabric and tuck it inside the cardboard roll of the toilet paper. Do this all the way around until you have your pumpkin shape.
4. Stuff your brown paper bag stem (or real stick) and greenery into the cardboard tube along with the fabric.
5. Tie a pretty ribbon around the stem to finish it off.

I'm thinking that you could also make larger pumpkins by using a roll of paper towels and a large square of fabric, but I haven't tested it out. If you do, let me know how it turns out.

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Thanks to my old MOPS group for this fun craft! I miss you all! If you're looking for other frugal ideas, check out Frugal Friday at LifeasMOM.

Make Your Own Letter Towel Hooks

One bonus of moving into a new (to me) home is that it is a fresh start in the decorating department. The drawback in my situation, of course, is the lack of funds to purchase new decor. But, we're making do and trying to reuse what we can and make what we can.

Our new home has only one full bathroom...and a shocking dearth of towel bars. Okay, let me rephrase...a shocking dearth of useful towel bars. One is located in the shower and the other is above the toilet paper roll. Yeah, neither are ideal locations for me, especially since we have four bath towels to hang up every day. Then, I discovered these...

Source: Anthropologie

Aren't they adorable? When I saw them, I envisioned each of us having our own letter lined up along the bathroom wall. The letters would even help remind the girls where to put their towels. Oh, it's a genius solution. Unfortunately, I can't really afford a $56 solution ($14 each)!

So, for about $4 each, I made my own version. Coat and Hat hooks with a wooden or papier-mâché letter above give me a similar look for a lot let less money. I already had wooden letters for the L and E, but I needed a B and a J. Since I couldn't find wooden letters to match the ones I already had, I made some papier-mâché ones. The best part? They hardly cost me anything to make! I made matching letter templates on my computer, used cereal boxes for the structure, and made paste from ingredients in my cupboard. Then I painted them with some paint from a $3 Martha Stewart Paint Tester.

For step-by-step instructions on how to make the letters, check out this post from Green Zebra Crafts. Just be sure to make holes on the backside of your letter so that you can hang them on the wall. (I used a hole punch to make my holes on the backside of the letter before I assembled it. Be sure not to cover your holes with papier-mâché.) This recipe for papier-mâché paste has always worked well for me. It made more than enough paste for two 6-inch letters.

Papier-Mâché Paste (makes about 1 cup paste)
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
2 1/4 teaspoons sugar

In a small bowl, combine flour and 1/2 cup cold water. In a saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil. Add the flour/water mixture and stir to combine. Bring back to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar. Allow to cool. Paste will thicken as it cools. Store in refrigerator between uses.

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For other money-saving ideas, check out Frugal Friday at LifeasMOM.

Valentine's Day Decorations

Like giving Valentine's Day gifts, putting up festive decorations is another way to make Valentine's Day special. Today, I got to work to change our "Not-A-Mantel" to reflect the upcoming holiday. Back in December, I was inspired by The Lettered Cottage to create a Christmas Mantel. Of course, when January came around, it evolved into a Birthday Mantel. Now for February, we will have a Valentine's Day Mantel.

To create this mantel, I kept the candles from Christmas and added a white teapot filled with silk roses. Then, I decorated the mirror with paper cutouts of the word LOVE and a few Crayon Hearts. I had aniticipated making these hearts with Ella, but she prefered to watch Swan Lake instead. Who am I to argue with her desire for culture? So, I made the hearts myself. I can only imagine that a child would love to do this craft too.

Other child-friendly decorating ideas would be to:

• Make paper chains from red, pink and white construction paper or try this printable Valentine's Heart Paper Chain
• Make some tissue paper flowers together
• Make a sign declaring your love for your family
• Blow up a few balloons. You can either hang them up or just let the kids bat them around. There was a time when Ella declared "It's not a celebration without balloons!"

Holiday "Not-A-Mantel"

Several months ago, I discovered The Lettered Cottage -- a home decorating blog written by Layla and Kevin Palmer. I love, love, love their style! I have spent far too many hours reading and reimagining my home...without trying out any of the ideas. One of the things that they have featured each season is a new mantel decoration. Check out their Spring, Summer and Fall mantels. So pretty!

I love the idea of changing mantel decor to go with the season. But sadly, we don't have a mantel! It's true! We live in a 2-bedroom condo without a fireplace, and therefore no mantel. A very talented neighbor of ours built herself a fake mantel that was beautiful. However, we have far too many BOOKS in this house to give wall space to a fake mantel.

But, rather than continue with imagining and not doing, I decided to create a Holiday "Not-A-Mantel" and substitute one of our mantel-height bookshelves for a mantel! I chose the one near the dining table since it is the focal point when you walk into the living room from both the front door and the hallway. Here is is stripped down.

Our budget is tight, and our storage space is small. So, I couldn't really justify buying many things for my Not-A-Mantel. I have a hard time parting with items I've purchased, so ideally I'd like to find a way to reuse whatever I buy...thus, the storage issue. Ideally, I would love to get a more substantial framed mirror (this one was left behind in the condo when we bought it) or perhaps some framed art. But, with my lack of budget and time constraints, I decided that I just needed to work around it. I decided to do as Layla would do and looked around the house for what I could find to create my Not-A-Mantel. Some things I found that might work...

Red rose balls that my sister Jamie made for her "flower girls" at her recent wedding reception.

A beautiful red crystal candy dish that my great Aunt Cass gave to me so that I could have "tea parties" with my girlies. (She sent matching mini goblets too...I told you she was great!)

A cute green mosaic candle holder that my husband gave me for my 30th birthday. I just LOVE the shade of green.

I also found some other candle holders that we acquired over the years as well as a paperwhite bulb that I planted at my most recent MOPS meeting.
Since the wall is an off-white and the mirror is frameless, I thought the whole project needed a bit more color. So, I ran off to Rite Aid for some holiday candies and red candles and to Ace Hardware for this "bling" foliage.

After some arranging and rearranging....

Ta da! My Holiday Not-A-Mantel!

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To see some other Holiday Mantels, check out Layla's Christmas Mantel Holiday Party at The Lettered Cottage!